to seep away
versickern – versickerte – ist versickert
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to seep away
To penetrate the ground and slowly disappear into it, especially water or another liquid.
Nach dem Regen versickerte das Wasser schnell im sandigen Boden.
After the rain, the water quickly seeped away into the sandy soil.
to disappear
To disappear or be lost gradually and unnoticed, for example money, information, or people.
Ein großer Teil des Geldes versickerte in undurchsichtigen Verwaltungsstrukturen.
A large portion of the money disappeared into opaque administrative structures.
| ich | versickere versickre |
|---|---|
| du | versickerst |
| er/sie/es | versickert |
| wir | versickern |
| ihr | versickert |
| sie | versickern |
| ich | versickerte |
|---|---|
| du | versickertest |
| er/sie/es | versickerte |
| wir | versickerten |
| ihr | versickertet |
| sie | versickerten |
| ich | bin versickert |
|---|---|
| du | bist versickert |
| er/sie/es | ist versickert |
| wir | sind versickert |
| ihr | seid versickert |
| sie | sind versickert |
| du | versicker! versickere!, versickre! |
|---|---|
| ihr | versickert! |
| Sie | versickern Sie! |
| ich | war versickert |
|---|---|
| du | warst versickert |
| er/sie/es | war versickert |
| wir | waren versickert |
| ihr | wart versickert |
| sie | waren versickert |
| ich | werde versickern |
|---|---|
| du | wirst versickern |
| er/sie/es | wird versickern |
| wir | werden versickern |
| ihr | werdet versickern |
| sie | werden versickern |
| ich | versickere versickre |
|---|---|
| du | versickerst |
| er/sie/es | versickere versickre |
| wir | versickern |
| ihr | versickert |
| sie | versickern |
Used for reported speech.
| ich | versickerte |
|---|---|
| du | versickertest |
| er/sie/es | versickerte |
| wir | versickerten |
| ihr | versickertet |
| sie | versickerten |
Used for wishes and “would”.
| infinitive | versickern |
|---|---|
| with zu | zu versickern |
| present participle | versickernd |
| past participle | versickert |
'Versickern' (to seep away) consists of the prefix 'ver-' and the verb 'sickern' (to seep). The prefix is inseparable, so the verb stays together in a main clause.
Bei Starkregen versickert das Wasser nicht schnell genug, und die Keller laufen voll.
During heavy rain, the water does not seep away quickly enough, and the basements flood.
In the sense involving liquids, 'in' (in / into) is often used with a location where the liquid disappears. When referring to a fixed location, use the dative.
Das ausgelaufene Öl ist bereits im Erdreich versickert.
The spilled oil has already seeped away into the soil.
In its figurative sense, 'versickern' (to disappear) is often used with money, funds, or resources. A context involving administration, projects, or organizations shows that nothing is actually penetrating the ground.
Viele Fördermittel versickerten in einem schlecht geplanten Projekt.
A lot of funding disappeared into a poorly planned project.
